Meat inspection system

ABSTRACT

A meat inspection and sorting line comprising supply means, a radiation inspection facility, a cutting facility and a reject facility. Meat parts are brought together and fed into the radiation inspection facility by means of a conveyor in a layer of meat parts. An undesired object is detected by the radiation inspection facility by means of e.g. an X-ray technique and a part of the layer of meat parts containing the undesired object is identified and separated from the layer of meat parts by the cutting facility. The identified and separated part of the layer of meat parts containing the undesired object is rejected by the reject facility from the layer of meat parts.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a system for inspection of meat and parts ofmeat in order to detect any undesired objects that may be comprised inthe meat parts or in between the meat parts. The system comprises supplymeans for the meat parts and a radiation inspection facility, e.g. anX-ray radiation inspection facility for detecting any undesired objects.Further, the system comprises means for separating meat parts comprisingundesired object. Further, the invention relates to a method forperforming a meat inspection and sorting.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Within the food industry various methods and systems are known fordetecting undesired objects in food products and in particular in meatproducts. As regards meat products it may be of particular relevance todetect bones or bone fragments, for example in connection with meatparts, where a deboning and/or trimming has been performed and where itis desired to ensure that all bones have been removed and/or where it isdesired to ensure that fragments of bones have not been left in the meatwhen performing the deboning process.

In the prior art various methods and systems have been described fordetecting e.g. bone or bone fragments in meat parts by means of X-raydetection means and removing meat parts, which comprises detected boneor bone fragments from e.g. a stream of meat parts, for example in orderto manually process such meat parts.

An example of such a technique is disclosed in WO 2005/090964 A1,wherein it is described that boneless or deboned meat or fish productsare conveyed along a conveyor, wherein the products are formedindividually into a shape of substantially uniform thickness whilepassing an X-ray emitting and sensing means, whereafter image analysisis performed to detect any bone or bone fragments. It is registeredwhich food items or which part of a stream of food items contains bones,bone fragments or other undesired materials and such food items, a wholepart of the stream comprising a plurality of food items, many of whichdo not contain undesired materials, must be removed or routed away inorder to ensure that a detected undesired material is removed.

WO 02/43502 A2 relates to an apparatus and a method for detecting andremoving undesirable material such as bones, fat, metal, etc. from aworkpiece, e.g. a food product. The workpieces are supplied one by one,i.e. separate from each other, by means of a conveyor to acomputer-operated X-ray detection apparatus for detecting the positionof the individual workpiece and for detecting possible undesirablematerial and the location of this in each of the workpieces. By means ofa cutter a part of the workpiece containing the undesirable materiel iscut off and is later downstream removed manually or by a pickup device.As the workpieces are supplied and conveyed separately one by one and asthe detection is performed for each workpiece separately, this willlimit the number of workpieces that can be processed per time unit.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved system and animproved method for inspecting meat for undesired objects and forremoving such undesired objects.

In particular, it is an object to provide such a system and such amethod, which can perform in a highly automatic manner and whereby anefficient operation and a relatively high flow can be facilitated.

Further, it is an object to minimize the amount of meat that is beingremoved together with the undesired objects.

It is a particular relevant object of the invention to provide a systemand a method for inspecting e.g. a stream or flow of relatively smallmeat parts, for example trim parts, ground meat, etc. in a quick andeffective manner and still be able to ensure that only a minimum of meatparts are removed, when an undesired object is removed.

It is noted that in connection with the present application it will beunderstood that meat parts comprise meat parts and/or trim parts ofanimals such as calves, pigs, sheep, etc., and that the meat and meatparts also includes meat from e.g. poultry, fish, etc. Further, it isnoted that the meat parts may also be ground meat.

Further, it is noted that the undesired objects, for which the meatparts are inspected in accordance with the present invention, inparticular are bones and bone fragments, but that also other objects maybe detected, for example metal, glass, plastic, stones, cartilage andother foreign objects. Even further, it is noted that the undesiredobjects that are detected, may be e.g. fat, meat having particular meatcharacteristics, e.g. a high fat content, etc. Further meatcharacteristics that may be detected, are e.g. blood stains, abscess,infections, etc.

In particular, it is a further object of the present invention topresent a system and a method, which provides an improved processingspeed and efficiency and by means of which the capacity of the radiationdetection facility can be used in an optimal manner.

These and other objects are achieved by the invention as explained infurther detail in the following.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a meat inspection and sorting line comprising

-   -   supply means,    -   a radiation inspection facility,    -   a cutting facility and    -   a reject facility,

wherein meat parts are brought together and fed into the radiationinspection facility by means of a conveyor in a layer of meat parts,

wherein an undesired object is detected by the radiation inspectionfacility by means of e.g. an X-ray technique,

a part of the layer of meat parts containing the undesired object isidentified and separated from the layer of meat parts by the cuttingfacility, and

the identified and separated part of the layer of meat parts containingthe undesired object is rejected by the reject facility from the layerof meat parts.

It is noted that in connection with the present application it will beunderstood that meat parts comprise meat parts and/or trim parts ofanimals such as calves, pigs, sheep, etc., and that the meat and meatparts also includes meat from e.g. poultry, fish, etc. Further, it isnoted that the meat parts may also be ground meat. Even further, it isnoted that the meat and meat parts may be of varying sizes, shapes, etc.and that meat parts of different sizes may be processed in accordancewith the invention simultaneously, e.g. in the same stream of meatparts.

A layer shall be understood as comprising a plurality of meat parts,wherein at least two of these meat parts are touching each other in anessentially continuous stream of meat parts, wherein, although, gaps ordistances may be present in the stream of meat parts.

Hereby, it is achieved that the capacity of the system can be increased,i.e. the amount of meat and/or number of meat parts that is beingprocessed per time unit, when the meat parts are brought together in alayer of meat parts, where the layer is inspected for possible undesiredobjects, and where a part of the layer containing a detected undesiredobject is separated from the rest of the layer by the cutting facilityand rejected. Since the layer of meat parts is being inspected, aplurality of meat parts comprised in the layer will be inspectedsimultaneously, which facilitates an increased capacity or operatingspeed.

Further, in case an undesired object is detected, only a limited part ofthe layer of meat parts will be removed, since the relevant part, e.g. atransverse slice of the layer of meat parts comprising the undesiredobject, is being separated by the cutting facility and—after thecutting—can expediently be automatically removed/rejected by the rejectfacility. Thus, there is no need to remove a relatively long stream ofmeat parts, only a short piece of which containing an undesired object.According to the invention a cut can e.g. be performed in front of andbehind of the position of the undesired object. Thus, it is achievedthat only a minimum of meat, e.g. a vertical slice of the layer of meatparts has to be rejected, i.e. the slice comprising the undesiredobject.

Thus, this constitutes an improved efficiency and an enhanced yield ascompared with the prior art, where a whole part of the stream comprisinga plurality of meat items are removed, and where a large number of partswill be unnecessarily removed, since the parts tend to stick togetherand cannot be separated without some difficulty.

Further, an improved efficiency and operating speed, e.g. items pr.minute, is achieved, since e.g. according to a prior art the items orproducts have to be conveyed, inspected and treated individually, whichin particular when a relatively high number of relatively small productitems are concerned will be detrimental to the efficiency. When, inaccordance with the invention, the meat parts are brought together in alayer comprising a plurality of meat parts, a relatively high throughputcan be achieved.

Advantageously, the supply means are configured for supplying meat partsby bringing said meat parts together in an essentially intermingledand/or overlapping manner. Hereby, it is facilitated that a plurality ofmeat parts are brought together to form a layer to be inspected, inparticular a layer, which enables a high capacity and/or an efficientradiation detection to be performed, since the intermingled and/oroverlapping meat parts may form a relatively uniform layer, whichenables an undesired object to be detected with a high degree ofcertainty. This is caused by that e.g. the density of the undesiredobject, e.g. a bone residue, as compared with the different, butotherwise uniform density of the surrounding meat of the meat parts inthe layer can be registered by the radiation inspection facility withgreater certainty than in case the meat parts are not brought togetherto form an e.g. uniform layer.

Further, said supply means may advantageously be configured for formingmeat parts into a layer of meat parts with said meat parts being incontact with each other and preferably even pressed, whereby voidsbetween the meat parts can be reduced or even avoided, therebyattributing to the uniformity of the layer of meat parts and theuniformity of the density of the meat.

Even further, it is noted that when the meat parts are brought togetherin a layer, e.g. in an intermingled and/or overlapping form and with themeat parts being in contact with each other, the radiation inspection isperformed by radiation propagating through a plurality of meat partssimultaneously, e.g. meat parts located next to each other as well as ontop of each other, which enhances the operating efficiency.

It is noted that the X-ray technique of the radiation inspectionfacility may perform according to e.g. a single energy technique or adual energy technique, as it will be well-known to a person skilledwithin the field of radiation technology and in particular X-rayradiation technology. Such technologies are well-described within theprior art and will not be explained in further detail here.

According to a further advantageous embodiment, said undesired objectmay be a bone or a bone fragment, a piece of cartilage or another objectsuch as a piece of metal, glass, plastic, stone or other foreignobjects.

Furthermore, said undesired object may be e.g. fat, meat havingparticular meat characteristics, e.g. a high fat content, etc. Furthermeat characteristics that may be detected, are e.g. blood stains,abscess, infections, etc.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the supply means may bedesigned for feeding the meat parts into the radiation inspectionfacility in said layer of meat parts, wherein said layer is in the formof an essentially continuous layer having an essentially even thickness.

Hereby, further advantages are achieved, including that the capacity ofthe radiation detection facility can be used to the full or essentiallyto the full since a maximum amount of meat parts can be processed by thefacility owing to that the layer of meat parts corresponds to thedetection field, i.e. the field covered by the detection. Furthermore,it can be achieved that the meat parts can be compressed when formingthe layer, e.g. by pressing the meat parts closer together andminimizing void spaces, thereby also increasing the capacity and theefficiency. The layer of meat parts may be formed into an essentiallycontinuous layer having an essentially even thickness by various means,as it will be apparent to a skilled person, for example also by means ofe.g. a funnel-shaped arrangement, through which the meat parts arepushed, etc.

Furthermore, it is emphasized that the supply means may preferably alsocomprise shaping means for shaping the layer of meat in the transversedirection, e.g. by means of side guides or the like, by means of e.g. afunnel-shaped arrangement, through which the meat parts are pushed, etc.

Further, when using a uniform layer of meat parts, it may be achievedthat a single energy X-ray technique may be used, while still providingan optimal result.

According to a further advantageous embodiment, said cutting facilitymay comprise cutting means, e.g. a rotating cutting knife or blade.

Hereby, a quick and efficient cutting can be performed, using forexample a rotating cutting knife, e.g. a sword knife or the like,whereby an efficient cutting of the layer in the essentially transversedirection can be performed. It is noted that when a rotating cuttingknife such as a sword knife or the like is used, the conveyor will bedivided at the cutting location in order for the knife to pass. It willbe understood, though, that other manners and means for performing thecutting may be used, which will be apparent to a skilled person, suche.g. laser cutting, water cutting, or the like.

According to a further preferable embodiment, said cutting facilityand/or a conveyor may be designed for creating a distance or an addeddistance between separated parts.

Hereby, it is achieved that the meat parts, that have been cut, will notstick to each other after the cutting. Thus, the cutting will result inrelatively sharp cutting surfaces and a clear separation. Furthermore,by creating a distance or gap, the subsequent process of rejecting aseparated part can be facilitated, i.e. since it is easier to reject aseparated part and since the risk of interfering with the main layer ofmeat parts is reduced considerably. Thus, hereby the processing orhandling speed can also be increased.

It will be understood that a distance or gap between parts of the layerof meat parts, when a cutting has been performed, can be created invarious manners and using various means, which will be apparent to askilled person within e.g. the conveying field. For example can aconveyor downstream of the cutting location be temporarily speeded upsubsequent to the cutting and/or a conveyor upstream of the cuttinglocation can temporarily slowed down subsequent to the cutting, suchthat the two parts of the layer, that have be separated by the cut, willbe removed relatively from each other.

According to a still further advantageous embodiment, said rejectfacility may comprise rejecting means for controllably rejecting aseparated part of the layer of meat parts containing an undesiredobject.

Hereby, the separated parts can be rejected in an efficient manner.

Advantageously, said rejecting means may comprise one or more of

a slidable conveyor or conveyor part,

a pivotable conveyor or conveyor part,

a rejector or

a gripper, a picker or the like.

Thus, it will be understood that various means may be used for rejectinga separated part and that in general it will be understood that when inconnection with the present invention a separated part is rejected, itwill be e.g. removed, dropped, lifted and moved, picked and moved,gripped, etc. and generally removed from the stream or layer of meatparts. Thus, it will also be understood that e.g. a robot, a gripper, apicker or the like may be used in connection with the reject facilityfor controllably rejecting a separated part,

According to a particular advantageous embodiment, said meat inspectionand sorting line may comprise control means for controlling said cuttingfacility and/or said reject facility on the basis of input from saidradiation inspection facility.

Hereby, the operating of the meat inspection and sorting line can beperformed in an efficient manner, including that the control means canoperate the facilities while keeping track of the detected undesiredobjects, the separated parts, etc., thereby enhancing the optimalprocessing and handling. Furthermore, it is emphasized that the controlmeans may also control such operations as speed control of conveyors,including the accelerating and subsequent deceleration in order toachieve gaps between separated parts, etc, while still keeping closetrack of these, etc.

According to a further advantageous embodiment, said reject facility maybe configured for rejecting separated parts to two or more reject tubs,bins or the like or to two or more different reject stations.

Such embodiments may for example be used also for removing e.g. fat orsimilar meat products from a stream in applications, where a relativelylean yield is required or desired, and where thus a meat part having ahigh degree of fat content may be labeled as an undesired object. Thus,separated parts containing undesired objects such as bones, boneresidues, etc. may be rejected to one reject bin or reject station,while other separated parts containing e.g. a high fat content, may berejected to another reject bin or reject station, from where theseparated parts can be led to e.g. a gate on a grader, where batches ofmeat are being produced, and where the high fat content parts can beused in achieving a desired fat/lean ratio of the produced batches.Similarly, it will be understood that instead or additionally, parts canbe detected by the invention, which contains a low fat content, andwhich may be separated in a similar fashion and led to e.g. a gate on agrader, where batches of meat are being produced, and where the low fatcontent parts, i.e. lean parts can be used in achieving a desiredfat/lean ratio of the produced batches.

The invention also relates to a method of performing a meat inspectionand sorting, wherein meat parts are brought together and fed into aradiation inspection facility by means of a conveyor in a layer of meatparts,

wherein an undesired object is detected by the radiation inspectionfacility by means of e.g. an X-ray technique,

a part of the layer of meat parts containing the undesired object isidentified and separated from the layer of meat parts by a cuttingfacility, and

the identified and separated part of the layer of meat parts containingthe undesired object is rejected by a reject facility from the layer ofmeat parts.

Advantageously, the method may relate to use of a meat inspection andsorting line according to any of claims 1 to 13.

According to a further embodiment, a separated part of the layer of meatparts containing an undesired object, which has been rejected, maysubsequently be processed manually in order to remove said undesiredobject.

Further, a separated part of the layer of meat parts containing anundesired object, which has been rejected, may subsequently be subjectedto a rescanning or re-inspection process, either by recirculation or bysending the separated part through another processing line and that apossible rescanning or re-inspection process may be performed using alayer of meat parts having a reduced thickness and/or using a lowerconveyor speed.

Even further, a separated part of the layer of meat parts containing anundesired object, which has been rejected, may subsequently be processedfor other purposes, e.g. for other food products, where the contents ofdetected undesired objects are not critical.

Furthermore, the invention also relates to a computer program comprisinginstructions for carrying out the steps of the method according to anyone of claims 14-19 when said computer program is executed on a suitablecomputer device.

THE FIGURES

The invention will be explained in further detail below with referenceto the figures of which

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a meat inspection and sortingline or system, e.g. an X-ray inspection and sorting line, according tothe invention in a schematic manner,

FIG. 2 a-e show part of the cutting facility and the reject facility ina schematic view, wherein a sequence of steps are shown leading to theseparation of a part and rejection of the separated part,

FIG. 2 f shows a view corresponding to FIG. 2 a, but wherein it isillustrated that a separated part may contain more than one undesiredobject,

FIG. 3 a-b show a particular embodiment of the reject facility in aschematic view, and

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of a meat inspection and sortingline or system, corresponding to FIG. 1 and in a schematic manner,wherein an embodiment of the supply and shaping means are illustrated.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An embodiment of a meat inspection and sorting line or system 1, e.g. anX-ray inspection and sorting line, according to the invention is shownin FIG. 1 in a schematic manner, which embodiment will be described inthe following.

The system 1 comprises a radiation inspection facility 2, e.g. inparticular an X-ray inspection facility, which is shown in a schematicmanner in FIG. 1. Further, supply means 4 for supplying meat parts, e.g.pieces of meat, trim parts, ground meat or the like, to be inspected tothe radiation inspection facility 2 is shown. The supply means 4 maycomprise a receiving chute or the like 6, into which the meat parts tobe inspected are delivered as indicated by the arrow. The supply means 4may preferably be designed to deliver meat parts 10 to a supply conveyor8, e.g. via an opening at the bottom and at one side of the receivingchute or the like 6. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, meat layer shapingmeans 12 may be arranged for shaping the delivered meat parts 10 into anessentially continuous layer having an essentially even thickness. Thesemeat layer shaping means 12 may as shown be in the form of an incliningconveyor belt or the like, which serves to even out the meat parts andfurthermore serves to compress the meat parts 10 into a substantiallyuniform layer 14. Other means may be used as well, as it will beexemplified later on in connection with FIG. 4. Furthermore, it will beunderstood that the supply means 4 may preferably comprise means forshaping the stream of meat parts also in the transverse direction, e.g.guide plates or the like (not shown in FIG. 1), thereby resulting inthat the meat parts 10 are shaped into a layer or stream of meat parts14 having an essentially uniform rectangular sectional shape, whichcorresponds to the working capability of the radiation inspectionfacility 2. Hereby, the capacity of the radiation inspection facility 2will be used in an optimal manner.

The layer or stream of meat parts 14 are as shown delivered from thesupply means 4 to an inspection facility conveyor 16, which feeds thelayer or stream of meat parts 14 into the radiation inspection facility2, wherein the layer or stream of meat parts 14 passes radiationdetection means, which may be in particular x-ray inspection anddetection means, e.g. comprising an X-ray emitter 20 and an X-raydetector 22, which by means of the propagated X-rays can detect e.g.undesired objects in the layer or stream of meat parts 14. Thus, it willbe understood that e.g. undesired object within a meat part as well asan undesired object, which is not within a meat part as such, butlocated between the meat parts, i.e. in the stream or layer of meatparts, can be detected. This detection arrangement may be designed in amultitude of varieties, as it will be well-known to a skilled personwithin the field, using e.g. single energy or dual energy systems, usingvarious image detection and/or analysis methods, etc.

As shown in FIG. 1, schematically illustrated control means 24 arecomprised in the system, located for example in the radiation inspectionfacility 2, for e.g. controlling and receiving data from the X-rayemitter 20 and the X-ray detector 22, for analyzing data in order todetect possible undesired objects such as e.g. a bone or bone fragment30 within the layer or stream of meat parts 14 and furthermore forproviding relevant data to a cutting facility 32 and a reject facility40, which will be described in the following.

When an undesired object 30 has been detected, the e.g. position will beregistered and/or it will e.g. be determined by for example the controlmeans 24 when the detected object 30 will reach the cutting facility 32,e.g. the location where a cutting of the layer or stream of meat parts14 can be performed. Such calculations, determinations, etc. can beperformed in numerous manners, for example when the transport speed ofthe inspection facility conveyor 16 and the distance between thedetection location and the cutting location are known, which will bereadily apparent to a skilled person.

The cutting facility 32, which may be integrated or combined with theradiation inspection facility 2 as shown, comprises cutting means 34such as for example a knife or blade, which is illustrated in aschematic manner only in FIG. 1, and which may be rotated to cut throughthe layer or stream of meat parts 14, e.g. across the stream, asindicated with the dash-line in the figure. In order for the cuttingmeans 34 to cut through the layer or stream of meat parts 14, a gap inthe conveyor may be arranged, for example between the end of theinspection facility conveyor 16, which naturally in itself may comprisemore than one conveyor, and a subsequent output conveyor 36.

When an undesired object 30 has been detected, the cutting means arecontrolled to cut through the layer or stream of meat parts 14immediately before the undesired object 30 reaches the cutting locationand preferably as close as possibly, and furthermore the cutting meansare controlled to cut through the layer or stream of meat parts 14immediately after the undesired object 30 has passed the cuttinglocation and preferably as close as possibly. It will be understood thathereby a part of the layer or stream of meat parts 14 will be cut free,which part will have a length at least corresponding to the length(dimension in the stream direction) of the undesired object 30 and thatthe length also will be dependent on practical matters, such as e.g. theconveying speed of the inspection facility conveyor 16 and the cuttingspeed of the cutting means 34. Furthermore, tolerances have to be takeninto consideration, e.g. in order to ensure that the detected undesiredobject 30 is contained in whole in the part that is cut free and that nopart of the detected undesired object 30 is cut by the cutting means 34and left in the layer or stream of meat parts 14 that has not been cutfree. Further, it is noted that if two or more undesired objects 30,e.g. two or more bones or bone fragments, have been detected in closeproximity to each other, it may be preferable to cut these free in asingle combined part instead of performing several cuts and creatingseveral small parts, which have been cut free. In accordance withembodiments of the invention, the e.g. control means 24 may be designedto perform in such various manners in order to optimize the workingefficiency.

It is noted that the speed of e.g. the output conveyor 36 may betemporarily increased after a cut has been performed, whereby it isachieved that a distance is created between the two parts and a secureseparation of the parts has been achieved, e.g. without the cut partssticking to each other. Alternatively or additionally, the speed of theinspection facility conveyor 16 may be temporarily reduced after a cuthas been performed, whereby it also is achieved that a distance iscreated.

Subsequent to the cutting facility 32 a reject facility 40 is arrangedfor rejecting the cut or separated parts of the layer or stream of meatparts 14 containing undesired objects 30. This reject facility 40comprises a transfer of the layer or stream of meat parts 14 to a rejectfacility conveyor 38. At the transfer location the separated partscontaining undesired objects, which separated parts as described abovemay be arranged with a distance to the main layer or stream of meatparts 14, can be transferred to e.g. a reject tub, bin or the like 42,which can be placed e.g. underneath the transfer location foraccumulating the rejected meat parts 46 containing undesired objects.The separated parts can be rejected in various manners, which will bedescribed later in greater detail, by e.g. sliding the reject facilityconveyor 38 or part of this in the conveying direction, thereby creatinga gap, when a separated part reaches the location, whereby it will fallinto the reject tub, bin or the like 42. Instead, the reject facilityconveyor 38 or part of this may be designed to pivot in order to createthe gap. Further, various rejector means may be used, e.g. for pushingthe separated parts sideways off the conveyor. Other manners ofrejecting the parts containing undesired objects may be used, e.g. usingfor example a robot, a gripper, etc., which will be apparent to askilled person within the art.

The main layer or stream of meat parts 14, i.e. the parts not comprisingundesired objects, or in other word the inspected meat layer 44 with anyundesired objects removed will be forwarded for further processing,handling, etc. via the reject facility conveyor 38 and possible furtherconveyors (not shown), while the rejected meat parts 46 containingundesired objects will be accumulated in the reject tub, bin or the like42. From the reject tub, bin or the like 42 they can be removed for asubsequent inspection, e.g. manually in order to search for and removethe undesired objects, or alternatively by running the meat through theinspection line again e.g. in order to minimize the amount of meat thathas to be manually inspected and searched in order to find and removethe undesired objects.

In FIGS. 2 a to 2 e are shown part of the cutting facility 32 and thereject facility 40 in an enhanced schematic view, wherein a sequence ofsteps are shown leading to the separation of a part 48 containing anundesired object 30 and rejection of the separated part 48. In FIG. 2 ait is shown that an undesired object 30, which has been detected by theinspection facility 2, is reaching the cutting location and a cut hasbeen performed through the layer 14 of meat parts by the cutting means34, e.g. a rotating cutting knife or blade, in front of the identifiedundesired object 30. Furthermore, the output conveyor 36 has beenbriefly accelerated and decelerated again in order to create a gap ordistance between the parts that have been cut, e.g. in order to achievethat the parts do not stick together and in order to achieve that itwill be easier later on to reject a part that has been separated. It isnoted that since the output conveyor 36 has just been accelerated for abrief period, leading only to a short change in distance, the layer ofmeat parts in the transport direction may be compressed to take up thisdistance. It may also be considered to accelerate the one or morefurther conveyors in the transport direction to compensate for thechange.

As mentioned above, a gap or distance may alternatively or additionallybe created by temporarily reducing the speed of the inspection facilityconveyor 16 after a cut has been performed.

In FIG. 2 b it is similarly shown that in a following step the undesiredobject 30 has been further advanced, a cut has been performed throughthe layer 14 of meat parts behind the identified undesired object 30,and further the output conveyor 36 has again been briefly acceleratedand decelerated in order to create a gap or distance between the partsthat have been cut. It will thus be seen that a part 48 has now been cutfree and separated from the main stream or layer of meat parts.

In FIG. 2 c it is shown that the parts have now been further advanced,while the system, e.g. the control means 24 keeps track of the relevantparts, and that the separated part 48 is now reaching the transfer fromthe output conveyor 36 to the reject facility 40, e.g. the rejectfacility conveyor 38.

At this point in time, a gap may be established between these twoconveyors by for example arranging the end of the output conveyor 36 tobe moved opposite the transport direction as shown in FIG. 2 d, wherebythe separated part 48 will be allowed to drop into the reject tub or bin42 to be accumulated with previous rejected parts 46. Instead, it may bepreferred to arrange the first end in the transport direction of thereject facility conveyor 38 to be moved in the transport direction,whereby likewise a gap can be created.

After this, as shown in the next step in FIG. 2 e, the end of the outputconveyor 36, or alternatively the first end in the transport directionof the reject facility conveyor 38, will be returned to its initialposition, whereafter normal transport of the layer 14 of meat parts areresumed onto the reject facility conveyor 38.

It will be apparent that the gap between the two conveyors 36 and 38 canbe provided in various manners, e.g. as explained by having one end ofthe output conveyor 36 or one end of the reject facility conveyor 38being movable in the transport direction, which may be arranged innumerous manners. It will also be apparent that part of the conveyor(s)may be pivotable, whereby a gap can also be established in order toreject a separated part 48. Further, it is apparent that the outputconveyor 36 as well as the reject facility conveyor 38 may be configuredto achieve a rejection facility and that any combinations of the aboveexamples may be used. Even further, it will be apparent to a skilledperson that other means may be used for rejecting a separated part, e.g.a separator for pushing a separated part sideways off the conveyor(s) orsimilar separator means, or a robot, a gripper, etc.

In FIG. 2 f, which in essence corresponds to the step shown in FIG. 2 b,it is shown that in case two or more undesired objects 30 are positionedclose to each other, it may be preferable to include these in a singleseparated part 48 instead of cutting smaller parts. This may be thecase, when it is not possible to cut between the two or more objects,when it is not in reality, e.g. due to cutting speed/time vs. transportspeed, practically to cut between the two or more objects and when it issimply more efficient to have only a single separated part, which haveto be handled by e.g. the reject facility 40, instead of a plurality ofsmaller separated parts 48.

In FIGS. 3 a and 3 b is shown a particular embodiment of the rejectfacility 40 in a schematic view, wherein it is shown how the outputconveyor 36 may be configured for providing a gap between the twoconveyors 36 and 38. As shown in FIG. 3 a, the conveyor 36 comprises atleast three rollers, of which two, i.e. the roller 52 and the roller 54,are supported by a frame 56, which is pivotable in relation to an axis58. In the position shown in FIG. 3 a, the meat parts are transferred tothe reject facility conveyor 38, but when a separated part 48 reachesthe transfer location, the frame 56 may be pivoted to the position shownin FIG. 3 b, whereby the roller 52 will be moved opposite the transportdirection and the separated part 48 will quickly drop downwards,whereafter the frame 56 may be returned to its initial position. As itwill be understood, this embodiment has the particular advantage thatthe conveyor 36, aided by the transport speed, will quickly disappearfrom under the separated part 48, which will thus be quickly droppeddown into the reject tub or bin 42. Thus, the drop or reject time willnot depend entirely on the conveyor speed and may thus be preferable toan embodiment, where the gap is created by moving the first end of thereject facility conveyor 38 in the transport direction.

In FIG. 4 a further embodiment is illustrated. FIG. 4 shows an exemplaryembodiment of a meat inspection and sorting line or system,corresponding to FIG. 1 and in a schematic manner, but wherein anembodiment of the supply means 4 and meat layer shaping means 12′ areillustrated. A receiving chute 6 or the like is provided as shown inconnection with FIG. 1 for receiving meat parts 10 from any suitablemeans. At the bottom of the receiving chute 6 a screw conveyor 80 may beprovided, driven by e.g. an electric motor 82 or any other suitabledriving means. Thus, the meat parts 10 are conveyed, e.g. pushed towardsthe radiation inspection facility 2 via meat layer shaping means 12′,which in the illustrated example is a funnel shaped arrangement, placedwith its wider end at the outlet of the screw conveyor 80 and with itssmaller end at the inlet of the radiation inspection facility 2, e.g. atthe supply end of the inspection facility conveyor 16. Thus, the meatparts 10 are in this manner compressed or squeezed together by thefunnel shape, thereby reducing the air volume, e.g. caused by gapsbetween the meat parts, in the resulting layer of meat parts. The outletend of the meat layer shaping means 12′, i.e. the smaller end, willdefine the shape of the layer of meat parts 14 and may preferably be ofa rectangular shape.

As mentioned above, other embodiments are possible, including anycombinations of such embodiments and the embodiments disclosed above andshown in the figures.

Further, it is noted that the meat inspection and sorting line or systemaccording to the invention and its use has been described above withreference to particular embodiments, but it will be understood that theinvention is not limited to the particular examples described above andshown in the drawings, but may be modified in numerous manners withinthe scope of the invention as specified in the claims.

LIST OF REFERENCES

1 Meat inspection and sorting line

2 Radiation inspection facility

4 Supply means

6 Receiving chute or the like

8 Supply conveyor

10 Meat parts

12, 12′ Meat layer shaping means

14 Layer of meat parts, un-inspected

16 Inspection facility conveyor

20 X-ray emitter

22 X-ray detector

24 Control means

30 Undesired object, e.g. a bone, bone fragments, piece of foreignobject

32 Cutting facility

34 Cutting means, e.g. a knife or blade

36 Output conveyor

38 Reject facility conveyor

40 Reject facility

42 Reject tub, bin or the like

44 Inspected meat layer with undesired objects removed

46 Rejected meat parts containing undesired objects

48 Separated part

52, 54 Rollers

56 Support frame

58 Axis

80 Screw conveyor

82 Drive means, e.g. electric motor

1. A meat inspection and sorting line comprising supply means, a radiation inspection facility, a cutting facility and a reject facility, wherein meat parts are brought together and fed into the radiation inspection facility by means of a conveyor in a layer of meat parts, wherein an undesired object is detected by the radiation inspection facility by means of e.g. an X-ray technique, a part of the layer of meat parts containing the undesired object is identified and separated from the layer of meat parts by the cutting facility, and the identified and separated part of the layer of meat parts containing the undesired object is rejected by the reject facility from the layer of meat parts.
 2. The meat inspection and sorting line according to claim 1, wherein said supply means are configured for supplying meat parts by bringing said meat parts together in an essentially intermingled and/or overlapping manner.
 3. The meat inspection and sorting line according to claim 1, wherein the radiation inspection facility uses an X-ray technique according to a single energy technique or a dual energy technique.
 4. The meat inspection and sorting line according to claim 1, wherein said undesired object is one or more of a bone, a bone fragment, a piece of cartilage, an object such as a piece of metal, glass, plastic, stone or other foreign objects.
 5. The meat inspection and sorting line according to claim 1, wherein said undesired object is fat or meat having a particular meat characteristics, e.g. a high fat content.
 6. The meat inspection and sorting line according to claim 1, wherein the supply means are designed for feeding the meat parts into the radiation inspection facility in said layer of meat parts, wherein said layer is in the form of an essentially continuous layer having an essentially even thickness.
 7. The meat inspection and sorting line according to claim 1, wherein the supply means comprises shaping means for shaping the layer of meat in the transverse direction, e.g. by means of side guides or the like.
 8. The meat inspection and sorting line according to claim 1, wherein said cutting facility comprises cutting means, e.g. a rotating cutting knife or blade.
 9. The meat inspection and sorting line according to claim 1, wherein said cutting facility and/or a conveyor is designed for creating a distance or an added distance between separated parts.
 10. The meat inspection and sorting line according to claim 1, wherein said reject facility comprises rejecting means for controllably rejecting a separated part of the layer of meat parts containing an undesired object.
 11. The meat inspection and sorting line according to claim 10, wherein said rejecting means comprises one or more of a slidable conveyor or conveyor part, a pivotable conveyor or conveyor part, a rejector, or a gripper, a picker or the like.
 12. The meat inspection and sorting line according to 11 claim 1, wherein said meat inspection and sorting line comprises control means for controlling said cutting facility and/or said reject facility on the basis of input from said radiation inspection facility.
 13. The meat inspection and sorting line according to claim 1, wherein said reject facility is configured for rejecting separated parts to two or more reject tubs, bins or the like or to two or more different reject stations.
 14. A method of performing a meat inspection and sorting, wherein meat parts are brought together and fed into a radiation inspection facility by means of a conveyor in a layer of meat parts, wherein an undesired object is detected by the radiation inspection facility by means of e.g. an X-ray technique, a part of the layer of meat parts containing the undesired object is identified and separated from the layer of meat parts by a cutting facility, and the identified and separated part of the layer of meat parts containing the undesired object is rejected by a reject facility from the layer of meat parts.
 15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in the use of a meat inspection and sorting line according to claim
 1. 16. The method according to claim 14, wherein a separated part of the layer of meat parts containing an undesired object, which has been rejected, is subsequently processed manually in order to remove said undesired object.
 17. The method according to claim 14, wherein a separated part of the layer of meat parts containing an undesired object, which has been rejected, is subsequently subjected to a rescanning or re-inspection process, either by recirculation or by sending the separated part through another processing line and that a possible rescanning or re-inspection process may be performed using a layer of meat parts having a reduced thickness and/or using a lower conveyor speed.
 18. The method according to claim 14, wherein a separated part of the layer of meat parts containing an undesired object, which have been rejected, is subsequently processed for other purposes, e.g. for other food products, where the contents of detected undesired objects are not critical.
 19. A computer program comprising instructions for carrying out the steps of the method according to claim 14 when said computer program is executed on a suitable computer device. 